Recent deaths make cyclists consider safety on the roads

Awareness for the growing trend, and less aggressive drivers is what some cyclists say needs to exist in order to make them feel safe.

Wed, 10 Jul 2013 23:06:31 GMT —

Over the past few weeks, there have been two deadly accidents involving cyclists which has raised concerns about drivers and cyclists sharing the road.

The most recent death of Traverse City cyclist, Kelly Boyce Hurlbert, has some cyclists questioning whether or not Traverse City is really a bike friendly community.

"I mean there's stupid drivers, and there's stupid bikers, but I think more awareness would be a really good thing to make everybody think about the bikers and the bikers think about the cars," said Traverse cyclist, Amy Mueller.

"There are more people cycling and walking," said TART Trails Marketing and Outreach Director, Arianne Whittaker. "Nationally that's a trend and we're certainly seeing that in our community."

Awareness for the growing trend, and less aggressive drivers is what some cyclists say needs to exist in order to make them feel safe.

"Cars are turning right, they don't yield," said Mueller. "They try to get around they're talking on the phone or smoking or whatever. "

When riding at night becomes necessary, cyclists are turning to more visible signs of safety. Officials at Brick Wheels say they have seen a spike in bicycle light sales since last week.

"I don't know if it's impacted sales as much as it's impacted emotion," said Brick. "Certainly all of our customers are very aware of it and are very disturbed by it."

And city officials are also staying proactive with future plans to help keep Traverse City a bike friendly community.

"They noticed that there was a need to accommodate them with better infrastructure, safer road design," said Whittaker.

A sub committee from the City Planning Commission will be holding a meeting on Tuesday, July 16th, at 4 p.m. in the Governmental Center. The meeting is open to the public. Officials hope to come up with some type of a plan to improve walking, biking, and public transportation in Traverse City.